Lord Coe says ticket lessons have been learned for Paralympic process

• Window shorter than for Olympic applications
• Allocation per person will be smaller

Lord Coe, right, the prime minister, David Cameron, centre, and the London mayor, Boris Johnson, attended the event to mark International Paralympic Day in Trafalgar Square. Photograph: Paul Childs/Action Images

The London 2012 chairman, Lord Coe, has admitted his organising committee learned lessons from the outcry that greeted the Olympic ticketing process, which will benefit the Paralympics.

With 1.5m of the 2m tickets for the Paralympics going on sale at 9am on Friday, Coe said they had shortened the application window and reduced the number of sessions that could be applied for.

Critics of the Olympic ticketing process, which saw many events hugely oversubscribed after 22m applications, complained they had to commit to large amounts of money going out of their accounts but did not find out if they had been successful for six weeks.

"We have shortened the period of sale. It's shorter than we had for the Olympic Games. We have slightly reduced the number of tickets you are able to apply for," Coe said.

"The lessons that we drew were that we needed to shorten the application period and we have done that. For some of the key events, we have reduced the number of tickets you are able to apply for and [we need to] just make sure that we communicate. We did [in the Olympics process]. But to continue to communicate throughout the application process," he added.

The Paralympics application window is three weeks long, closing on 26 September, whereas the Olympics window was open for 42 days. There is a maximum limit of 10 sessions per application, while during the Olympics ticketing process potential purchasers could apply for up to 20.

The Locog chief executive, Paul Deighton, said the decision had been made because applicants were now more familiar with the ticketing process. While the final statistics did not bear out the theory that a small number of well-off buyers had dominated sales, he said the changes would remove any perception that they might.

Coe denied that the changes were an admission of any failings during the Olympic ticketing process: "It's just a sensible conclusion that was drawn off the back of a six-week ticket process that broke all world records."

With half of all Paralympic tickets under £10 and 95% under £50, with discounts available for children and groups, organisers hope they will become the first Paralympics to sell out to paying ticketholders.

"We brought forward the application process for the Olympic Games and we have been very successful there. We have seen this level of interest, so compared to other Games we will see more tickets sold earlier," Deighton said.

"I don't think we will sell as many as early as we did for the Olympics because the pattern for the Paralympics is a little bit later. I do expect that there will be very strong interest, though, and by the time we get to Games time we will be right up there."

Coe added: "I do think we will [sell out]. On the sign-up process a year ago and during the Olympic applications, over half of the people who bought Olympic tickets indicated that they wanted Paralympic tickets as well, so we have an indication we have one million people talking about buying tickets."

He also defended Channel 4, the broadcast partner that paid £9m for rights to the Paralympics and will show hundreds of hours of live coverage but recently faced criticism over its coverage of the world athletics championships.

"I didn't see the coverage in Daegu but what I will say is that I couldn't want for a better broadcast partner than Channel 4," said Coe, who was in South Korea for the duration of the championships.

After taking on the prime minister David Cameron alongside wheelchair athletes in a game of doubles as part of a day-long programme of events to mark International Paralympic Day, the London mayor, Boris Johnson, said: "It's going to be the greatest Paralympics ever, no question".

Oscar Pristorius, the South African sprinter who was the focus of attention when he competed against able-bodied competitors at the World Athletics Championships and is hoping to compete in both events next summer, said he was convinced the London Paralympics would help change wider perceptions among those watching worldwide.

"A lot of perceptions will be changed about how they view people with disabilities and how they view Paralympic sport. Paralympic sport is not just inspiring. It's hardcore. It's disappointment. It's hard work, dedication. It's really exciting."

Ellie Simmonds, the British swimmer who was just 13 when she won two gold medals in Beijing, said she was looking forward to a home Games and would not be fazed by the increased pressure.

"Since Beijing, where we did so well and came second in the medal table and got 101 medals, it's been really good … The pressure is not only going to be on me but on the whole team. I deal with pressure really well and it makes me strive for more."